Survey of English Place-Names

Historical Forms

• Scitelesuuorde 1086 DB

• Sitlewrth 12 Kirkst

• Sitleswrdia c.1180–1200 YCh1006

• Schutleswrtha, Sutleswrtha 1210 Kirkst

• Littleworth yard 1724 DoncD

Etymology

There seems to be little doubt that Littleworth occupies the site of Shuttleworth (cf. Hnt i, 66); if the names are the same, we must assume that Little - was substituted from motives of delicacy (cf. Middlestown, etc. in Shitlington ii, 206infra ). The fact that this particular combination of els. is also found thrice in La and once in Db is against derivation from an unrecorded OE  pers.n. Scyttel (Goodall 256), and Ekwall is undoubtedly right in deriving these names from OE  scyttels 'a bar, a bolt' with OE  worð 'an enclosure'. He notes Scandinavian cognates (Norw  skutil , Swed  skyttel ) used of 'a pole that can be used horizontally to close or open the gap in a fence', and ModE  dial. shuttle 'the horizontal bar of a gate or hurdle'.Shuttleworth would therefore mean 'an enclosure which was closed by means of a bar or pole' or 'one made of such poles or hurdles'; cf. also the f.ns. Shuttle Close ii, 7, Top Shuttles iii, 140infra .